Each summer, Ocean State Media partners with the Rhode Island Foundation to award a $15,000 annual college scholarship to a local high school graduate who’s planning to pursue a career in media.
This year’s scholarship recipient is Alex Razo, a Providence native and a graduate of the MET High School. This fall, he’ll be attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Alex recently sat down with Ocean State Media morning host Luis Hernandez to discuss his professional aspirations.
Interview highlights
On his passion for visual storytelling
Alex Razo: Well, it started from a very young age. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been into arts. I have always been into drawing, painting. From there, I got into content creation at a very young age. So because of that, I got inspired by content creators I used to watch when I was very little. From there, I discovered video editing and broadcasting. I would be using my mom’s cell phone, learning how to use iMovie at 10 years old. But it was kind of an on-and-off thing. I would switch from video editing to drawing, video editing to drawing. I started taking (video editing) a lot more seriously when I got to high school.
On his desire to attend RISD
Razo: I discovered the school (from) one of my wrestling coaches, Mr. Bannon. He’d see me draw on my sketchbook at the time during English class, and he was like, “Hey, have you heard of RISD?” I’m like, “What is that?” And he’s like, “Oh, it’s one of the best art schools in the country.” I’m like, “Oh, really?” I also read a book about this kid that got into RISD because his portfolio was so outstanding. And that kind of grew on me; this dream of mine of going to RISD. But honestly, I didn’t expect to get in at all.
On his career goals as a visual storyteller
Razo: As I got older, I’ve gotten to see systemic barriers against communities of color or just really social issues. I aim to capture emotional, authentic stories through just interviewing people. I’ve been able to do that through my own personal projects and even at school. So for instance, I was able to create a documentary covering the systemic barriers against immigrant families for my senior thesis. And throughout that process, I’ve been able to do a lot of research throughout these communities and (learn) what specifically these barriers are. I feel like I’ll always have this interest in capturing raw, emotional stories. I want to incorporate (that) into my storytelling.
On how traditional media outlets can attract younger audiences
Razo: Well, if I had to put it to my perspective as a youth, which can be kind of difficult because it really varies… I mean, if you look at the algorithms online, it’s always constantly changing and changing. So it’s more of studying that, studying what it is that interests the youth now. I think incorporating current themes and trends would be more compelling for kids to be more interested in. It has to be something that’s instantly eye-opening.
